Book picks similar to
Dante's Gift by Aubrey Wynne
romance
christmas
contemporary
contemporary-romance
The Writing Desk
Rachel Hauck - 2017
Now that her second book is due, she’s locked in fear. Can she repeat her earlier success or is she a fraud who has run out of inspiration?With pressure mounting from her publisher, Tenley is weighted with writer’s block. But when her estranged mother calls asking Tenley to help her through chemotherapy, she packs up for Florida where she meets handsome furniture designer Jonas Sullivan and discovers the story her heart’s been missing.A century earlier, another woman wrote at the same desk with hopes and fears of her own. Born during the Gilded Age, Birdie Shehorn is the daughter of the old money Knickerbockers. Under the strict control of her mother, her every move is decided ahead of time, even whom she’ll marry. But Birdie has dreams she doesn’t know how to realize. She wants to tell stories, write novels, make an impact on the world. When she discovers her mother has taken extreme measures to manipulate her future, she must choose between submission and security or forging a brand new way all on her own.Tenley and Birdie are from two very different worlds, but fate has bound them together in a way time cannot erase.
The Bookshop on the Corner
Rebecca Raisin - 2014
The meet-cute, the passion, the drama and the gorgeous men! Now this wouldn’t have been such an issue if she hadn’t been the owner of the only bookshop in Ashford, Connecticut.Ever since her close friend Lil, from The Gingerbread Café, had become engaged she had been yearning for a little love to turn up in her life. Except Sarah knew a good man was hard to find – especially in a tiny town like Ashford. That was until New York journalist, Ridge Warner stepped into her bookshop…Love could be just around the corner for Sarah, but will she be able to truly believe that happy-ever-after can happen in real-life too!
Christmas from the Heart
Sheila Roberts - 2019
Hightower Enterprises, one of their biggest donors since way back when Olivia’s grandmother ran the charity, has been taken over by Ebenezer Scrooge the Second, aka CFO Guy Hightower, and he’s declared there will be no more money coming to Christmas from the Heart.Guy is simply being practical. Hightower Enterprises needs to tighten its belt, and when you don’t have money to spare, you don’t have money to share. You’d think even the pushy Olivia Berg could understand that.With charitable donations dwindling, Olivia’s Christmas budget depends on Hightower’s contribution. She’s focused her whole life on helping this small town, even putting her love life on hold to support her mission.When Guy’s Maserati breaks down at the edge of the Cascade foothills, he’s relieved to be rescued by a pretty young woman who drives him to the nearby town of Pine River. Until he realizes his rescuer is none other than Olivia Berg. What’s a Scrooge to do? Plug his nose and eat fruitcake and hope she doesn’t learn his true identity before he can get out of town. What could go wrong?
Misadventures of a City Girl
Meredith Wild - 2017
With the paparazzi fresh on her heels and her love life splashed on every tabloid, she runs away to a swanky retreat in Northern California. Avalon Springs is the mountainside haven she needs to find herself again.Luke Dawson lives off the grid, preferring solitude to society. When he finds a beautiful woman soaking in the hot springs on his property, he can't stop himself from watching her. She captures his attention, but she's just a city girl—a beautiful distraction disturbing the peace he's settled here to find.When Madison discovers Luke's secluded cabin, he can't turn her away again. They make no promises. Madison needs to feel wanted again, and Luke misses the touch of a woman. But when mother nature has other plans, they're forced to spend more than a night of passion together. Can Luke say goodbye to the only woman who's made him feel anything in years, and can Madison leave behind the man who brought her back to life?Misadventures is a romantic series of spicy standalone novels, each written or co-written by some of the best names in romance. The stories are scandalous, refreshing, and, of course, incredibly sexy. They're the perfect bedside read, a 'quick blush' for the reader who loves a page-turning romance.
Mistletoe Misconduct
Catherine Gayle - 2015
And he’s in the perfect position to grant second chances like he’s Santa Claus—even if he never gives himself one. When his friends take matters into their own hands, Jim might just get the holiday surprise of a lifetime.Elaine Sutter is finally ready to forgive her ex-husband for his past transgressions and find a future with him again. So when she discovers his online dating profile, she sets up a secret meeting with the only man she’s really ever loved. Her only goal this holiday season is to stuff Jim’s stocking with a Santa-sized dose of forgiveness and a sleigh full of love. After all, a bit of mistletoe could wipe out all of Jim’s previous misconduct and pave the way for a little fun under that holiday sprig.
What Once Was Perfect
Zoe York - 2013
Heading home always stirs up mixed emotions for Laney Calhoun. Twelve years ago she left for graduate school, broken-hearted. She's found professional success, but positive personal relationships have proved elusive. Running into her ex-boyfriend fans flames she thought long extinguished, and causes a renewed interest in love. Not with Kyle, of course. Never again. But as sparks fly and items of clothing disappear, she scrambles to keep her emotions in check. ...Now he has a second chance to get it right. Kyle Nixon let Laney slip away once. Their chemistry together is undeniable, but steamy sex is not enough to convince her to let him back into her heart. Even if she did trust him again, her career as a paediatric surgeon is five hundred kilometers away from the hometown that he loves, and the life he once chose over her. Come home to Wardham. Come home to love.
Redemption: Part One
Kate Benson - 2018
I’ve allowed myself time to lick my wounds and I’m not only confident my nights alone on the couch are numbered, I’ve got a solid plan for the first time in months. Focus on work, don’t worry about the rest. The last thing I need in my life right now is another complication. I’ve convinced myself it’s a flawless plan. I just have to stay off Adam Avery’s radar and I’ll be fine. Now that I’ve met him, I’m not sure I want to be anywhere else. Adam I’ve been my father’s best kept dirty secret for more than three decades. When my uncle, the CEO of Avery Finance, is forced into early retirement, he appoints me as his unlikely successor and the media goes into a frenzy. For an admitted recluse, it’s definitely a challenge, but I’ve never shied away from those before. I just need to stay focused, in control and avoid distraction. Unfortunately, Isabella Baxter might be the one distraction I can’t resist. Redemption is a multi-pov spin-off from The Promise Series previously published in The Vault: A Sinfully Sexy Collection.
Someday in Paris
Olivia Lara - 2020
Missed opportunities and mistakes. Loss and sacrifice. But above all, it is about love. The kind of love that survives time, distance... even death. The kind of love I wish for you.'
Finding the one is only the beginning...1954. Zara is fifteen the first time she meets Leon. During a power cut in a small French museum, the two spend one short hour in the dark talking about their love for art, Monet, and Paris. Neither knows what the other looks like. Both know their lives will never be the same.1963. In Paris, Leon no longer believes he will ever find the girl he lost that night. After dreaming about him for years, Zara thinks she has already found him. When they meet at an exhibition, they don't recognize each other – yet the way they feel is so familiar...Over the course of twenty years, Zara and Leon are destined to fall in love again and again. But will they ever find a way to be together?The magical new love story of 2020, perfect for hopeless romantics and fans of One Day and The Notebook.
What Happens at Christmas
Jay Northcote - 2015
Christmas is coming, and he doesn’t want to face his ex alone at their office party. So Sean—Justin’s best mate and long-time secret crush—volunteers to go with him and pretend to be his new flame.Sean has always lusted after Justin from afar, but there’s never been a good opportunity to ask him for more than friendship. Posing as Justin’s boyfriend isn’t a chore, and if Justin wants to rebound onto him, Sean’s more than willing. At the party pretence and reality blur, and a kiss on the dance floor leads to a night of passion.In the aftermath, they both assume it was a one-time thing until fate intervenes. Stuck together in London over the holidays, they give in to temptation again. But what happens at Christmas stays at Christmas... right?
Holiday Bound
Beth Kery - 2009
Could it be that after so many stormy years, "slick Mitch" Carradine wants to offer an olive branch? Maybe the old man is mellowing, settling down with the new lover he's bringing along. Then Alex realizes the acid truth. This is no warm family visit. His father's new conquest is none other than the woman of Alex's sexual fantasies, meant only to dangle tauntingly in front of his face. At least an unexpected blizzard has frozen his father out of the picture entirely.Angeline Kastakis was looking forward to taking the next step in her relationship with Mitch. Too late, she realizes she's been led into a familial battle zone. Now it's Christmas and she's marooned in a blizzard with an insolent, gorgeous hunk of man whose blazing blue eyes tell her loud and clear he wants her in his bed. Preferably tied to it with a bow. There's no escape in sight. But as Alex stirs her secret longing to be mastered by a man, escape is the last thing on her mind...Warning: This book contains scenes of sensual submission hot enough to make you sweat in a blizzard.
Christmas in Good Hope
Cindy Kirk - 2015
But her merry facade hides a dark secret she won’t ever forget. Still, she throws herself into celebrating Christmas—and convinces her handsome, and stubborn, new neighbor to join her.Beckett Cross, however, is determined not to celebrate the holidays. He moved to Good Hope to leave behind reminders of how he’d had it all…and lost everything. But it’s hard to resist adorable Ami, the designated keeper of the small town’s holiday traditions, when she asks for help with the Twelve Nights celebrations. And Ami has a hard time resisting Beck’s soft Southern drawl and gentle eyes. Will a Christmas miracle give them a second chance at love and the hope to heal both of their hearts for good?
The Name of Red
Beena Khan - 2020
The woman in red has a secret admirer.A second at love means confessing your secrets to a stranger.Two strangers on the same path.It was a rainy, winter night when Kabir saw her for the first time.A mysterious woman in a red dress seeking shelter came inside my bar.Night after night, drink after drink, she comes back to the same spot.Hundreds of men try to speak with her daily, but she dismisses them.She’s always reading, always surrounded by books and booze.He didn’t want to disturb her peace.And, he didn’t want to be her next reject.So, he decided to leave her books anonymously with notes.Just as he was about to put another, a voice behind him says,"So you're the one leaving me books?"
Be Mine For Christmas
Alicia Street - 2012
She takes her little boy to a Christmas tree farm to see Santa and runs head on into a blue-eyed Viking with a winsome smile. Reece opened his Christmas tree farm after the accident that nearly took his life. But it left him with the vision of a woman who would heal his heart.A 13,000 word short story/novelette.
Pumpkin Everything
Beth Labonte - 2018
After calling off her fall wedding, horror novelist Amy Fox is left with a broken heart, a mega case of writer’s block, and a serious aversion to all things pumpkin spice. When she receives news that her grandfather has broken his wrist driving through a Dunkin Donuts—literally straight through the front windows—five hundred miles away, in her hometown of Autumnboro, New Hampshire, Amy has no choice but to return to check on him. If she doesn’t make sure that he’s back on his feet, Grandpa may be moved into assisted living, and Amy’s beloved childhood home will be put on the market. Knowing she must return, Amy worries about the only thing worse than pumpkin spice—a reunion with Kit Parker—her childhood best friend, first love, and entire reason for skipping town in the first place. As the two reconnect, a second chance seems possible...if only Kit weren’t holding on to a secret that just might unravel everything. Set against the scenic backdrop of the White Mountains, New Hampshire, Pumpkin Everything is a small town, sweet romance, and the perfect way to kick off the fall season! A pumpkin spice latte wouldn’t hurt, either.
Naughty & Nice: Room at the Inn / All I Want for Christmas is You / One Perfect Christmas
Ruthie Knox - 2012
Ruthie Knox tells a heartwarming contemporary story of first loves given the gift of a second chance; Molly O’Keefe releases the ghosts of Christmas past with a prequel to her novel Crazy Thing Called Love; and Stefanie Sloane weaves an irresistible Regency tale of fiery passion that burns deep on a cold winter’s night. ROOM AT THE INN by Ruthie Knox Carson Vance couldn’t wait to get out of Potter Falls, but now that he’s back to spend Christmas with his ailing father, he must face all the people he left behind . . . like Julie Long, whose heart he broke once upon a time. Now the proprietor of the local inn, Julie is a successful, seductive, independent woman—everything that Carson’s looking for. But despite several steamy encounters under the mistletoe, Julie refuses to believe in happily ever after. Now Carson must prove to Julie that he’s back for good—and that he wants her in his life for all the holidays to come. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU by Molly O’Keefe Maddy Baumgarten and Billy Wilkins are spontaneous, in love, and prepared to elope the day after Christmas—that is, if Maddy’s family doesn’t throw a wrench in their plans. After all, Maddy’s barely out of high school and Billy’s a notorious bad boy. Maddy doesn’t care about Billy’s rough past—all she cares about is living in the here and now. But after Maddy’s mother stops speaking to her in protest, and a Christmas Eve heart-to-heart with her father leaves her with butterflies, Maddy starts to get cold feet. She loves Billy, but is she taking this big step too soon? ONE PERFECT CHRISTMAS by Stephanie Sloane After being jilted by her fiancé, Jane Merriweather turns to her dear childhood friend, the Honorable Lucas Cavanaugh, for support—and unlocks the smoldering desire simmering in the man’s troubled heart. Frightened by his newfound feelings, Lucas flees to Scotland. But when the Christmas season brings them together again, one glance is all that’s needed to reignite his yearning. If Lucas can convince Jane that his intentions are as pure as the falling snow, they’ll turn a dreary December into a joyous Yuletide affair.